Sydney:10

2024 Sydney:10 (Australian 10km Road Champs) – Danielle White

Race Date: May 19th Results: 2024

I started running with the Flyers on their long runs mid-2023, with a brief hiatus for a dodgy hammy. I decided on my return I needed to go Full Flyers and invited myself along (thanks Kim!) to Tuesday’s Lotus Elite group. After a few months and a significant improvement in my fitness and speed, I started to think about cutting my triathlon season short and concentrating on a running event. Matt Mahony mentioned this thing called “Sydney10”, Ingrid described it as magical and I was sold. My 10km PB was the 2022 Hill2Harbour run, 42:37. Buoyed by Matt’s overwhelming optimism, I started to contemplate a sub 40min attempt.

As always, I had to balance my training with 3 children, my husband’s training and a full-time job. But I did my best to follow Andrew Kidd’s McMillan program. Tuesdays with Lotus, and generally Thursdays or Fridays with Andrew or solo. Plus an easy run, a swim and a trainer session. Sunday long runs were few and far between, but otherwise I was happy with my prep.

I decided in the week prior to the Newy Half to give sub 90min a crack. This was despite having only run more than 14km twice in the previous 2 months. Long story short – after 11 excellent kilometres right on pace, I died suddenly and completely. I finished but it was messy. My confidence was shot. Had I really done the work needed to run sub 40min at Sydney10?

I buckled down, worked hard during my training and sought to improve my confidence. I decided to do a 5km time trial. My plan was simple – hold the same pace as I held for my 2-mile repeats (3:50-55). If I could hold it for 5km, then I should be able to hold 4:00-05 for 10km.

So, one Saturday I fronted up to Newy parkrun and ran 19:25 (a new PB!). 3:53 pace, and importantly it was consistent. Perfect. I rearranged my expectations. Sub 40:30 was the new goal.

I stayed down the night before with my aunt and teenage cousins. One of them kindly moved to the lounge and let me sleep in his room, but despite the room being aired and fresh sheets on the bed, I still turned up to the race smelling vaguely of Lynx Africa.

I found RP, Mark Allen and Ingrid in the car park. We farewelled Ingrid as she went off to her Elite area, and met up with Matt Mahony to drop off his bib. Mark and I then did a warm up with a few strides, downed a gel, and after another nervous toilet trip, we went to the start line. I found myself too far at the front so wiggled back to make room for the Very Serious Runners. I found myself next to RP and just in front of the 40min pacer.

And then it was go time.

I was determined to stick to the plan. Be consistent. Don’t be an idiot on the first kilometre. And above all – suck it up and don’t be a little bitch*. For the first kilometre I resisted the urge to get pulled along and accepted that people were going to be sprinting past me. My Garmin beeped – 3:53 for the first km. 10 seconds quicker than my plan, but it felt really good, so I kept going. 3:56, 3:59, 3:59, 3:56. 5km down and actually on track for sub-40.

As I looped around past the start line I saw Matt cheering, as the second wave prepared to start. As I ran around the back of the stadium I noticed the 40min pacer surge past me, with a couple of blokes trying to hang on. I was confident my pace hasn’t slowed, so didn’t try and go with them. Not sure what was going on there, but I later overtook him.

Around the 5.5km mark I took a gel. Possibly physiologically unnecessary, but it’s what I usually do in the back end of the run for an Olympic distance tri, so down the hatch it went.

I still felt amazing. I had been thinking of the run as 3x 2mile efforts (thanks again Andrew!). So as I passed the 6.4km mark I told myself “one more rep to go”. 3:53, 3:53, 3:56. 8km down. I had started to pass some of the runners I had been trying to stay with (blonde mullet, orange shoes and the Sydney Strider who looked like Scott Alder’s Doppelgänger). Only Scott 2.0 stayed with me. All around I could hear heavy breathing and the occasional “c‘mon!”. I still felt great, taking over a few more people.

But with 1.5km to go the amazing feeling started to dissipate. It started to hurt. My breathing started to match those asthmatic Darth Vaders around me. But I dug deep and told myself to suck it up and don’t be a little bitch. Chanting that in my head I ran around the corner just before the stadium, staying with Scott 2.0. I felt a rush of energy and tried to move past the people in front as we curved around, but it was too congested, so was stuck until we poured out onto the track. I looked at my watch – sub 40 was going to happen. I sprinted down the outside, crossed the line and triple checked my Garmin – I did it! Official time 39:41.

Having gone from standing at the start line thinking sub 40min wasn’t possible, to running, for me, close to the perfect race, I was absolutely stoked. My second 5km was quicker than my first, which is a testimony to Andrew’s awesome program – those sessions hurt, but they were effective. Thanks again to Lotus Elite. Tuesday mornings at the blue track made me realise how much I missed that type of training, and above all helped me love running again.

What’s next? Well the half marathon and I have some unfinished business…

* Credit to Kelly Kortick. I understand these weren’t her exact words, but the sentiment is the same!